The Cowboy's Seductive Proposal. Sara Orwig

tangible as if he had moved close to a blazing fire. Her eyes darkened, and her lips parted slightly as she gazed back steadfastly at him.

      Never one for long, deep soul-searching, Jared knew inherently that this woman was special. She had dashed into their lives, and he wanted her to stay.

      “I’m Jared Whitewolf,” he said quietly, looking at her crystal eyes, flawless skin, full red lips. “You’re holding my daughter, Meny—spelled M-E-R-R-Y.” His speech was automatic. His thoughts were on her eyes, so cool and filled with a mysterious invitation that revved up parts of him hungry for a woman’s touch.

      “I’m Faith Kolanko.”

      “Thanks for coming to our rescue.”

      “You’re welcome.”

      They stared at each other, and Jared didn’t want the moment to end. He didn’t feel compelled to talk to break the silence between them because it wasn’t an uneasy quiet. Far from it. It was snapping, popping and sizzling with chemistry so hot it should be illegal. While he looked down at her, he saw another flicker in the depths of her eyes.

      For the first time since he’d become Merry’s father, he momentarily forgot his daughter—forgot everything—except the woman whose wide eyes gazed up at him. Faith Kolanko.

      “We’re having a picnic. Want to join us?” he asked. “Are you alone?”

      “Oh, my soul! I’m late for work!” she exclaimed, glancing at her watch, the magic sparks spinning between them vanishing as if turned off by a switch. “I’ve got to go,” she said, handing Merry to him.

      Jared knew a good thing when he saw it, and he wasn’t going to let Faith Kolanko slip out of his life ten minutes after she’d arrived in it.

      “Hey, wait!” he said, trying to scoop up his boots and shirt and Merry’s sundress and hold Merry at the same time.

      Faith did not wait. She dashed around the spirea bushes and reappeared in seconds with a purse slung over her shoulder. “See you!”

      She ran down the twisting gravel path and vanished beyond a stand of bright yellow forsythia.

      “Darlin’, we can’t let that woman go,” he said to Merry, placing her on the quilt he had spread. He yanked on his boots, pulled on his T-shirt. He dropped Merry’s pink sundress over her head, straightened it and picked her up to run. He passed the forsythia, sprinting across the grassy park while he looked around, searching for a golden head of hair and a blue blouse and skirt.

      Halfway around the park, the brick wall progressively shortened and then ended. There was a parking lot at the north end, and Jared scanned the few people getting in and out of cars for a blue blouse and skirt. He glanced to the east. Beyond the park and the wide expanse of sidewalk, past a fountain with silver water sparkling in the bright sunlight, up wide steps to a tall office building, he spotted fabulous legs, a blue skirt, blue shirt and golden hair. He tightened his grasp of Merry and ran.

      Faith Kolanko disappeared through the revolving glass doors of the Harrington Tower. Since he suspected she would be out of sight in an office by the time he reached the revolving doors, he stopped running.

      He looked down at Merry, who smiled at him. “You are a sweetie, and I’m sorry I fed you too much banana at once. I won’t do that again, I promise,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “The lady got away—for now, but not for good. Nosiree. Li’l darlin’, we’ll get our things and go look for the pretty lady. I’ll bet half the men in that building can tell me what office she’s in. You liked her, didn’t you?”

      Merry gurgled and blinked when sunlight splashed over her face.

      “Well, so did I. She’s special, Merry. I can just feel it down to my bones. Faith Kolanko. That’s a pretty name. Merry and Faith. I like that.”

      Merry smiled at him, and he settled her against his shoulder as he strode back to the blanket he had spread. He laid her down gently, her big blue eyes watching him solemnly until a bird flitted past, and then her attention shifted to the birds and trees.

      Jared folded up their things, finished the can of pop he’d been drinking and put their trash in a nearby bin. He sank down on the quilt, pulled Merry into his arms and got a bottle out of a satchel. “Now, li’l darlin’, here’s your bottle. You drink up and have a little nap. Then, sweetie, we’ll go find the pretty lady we liked so much.”

      Jared watched Merry’s tiny hands grasp the plastic bottle, and he felt his heart swell with love for this little person he held in his arms. “I’m sorry your real daddy couldn’t know you, li’l darlin’. He was a good man and we’re not going to forget him.”

      Merry’s eyes closed, thick black lashes a dusky shadow over her plump rosy cheeks. Jared snuggled her closer, careful not to disturb her as she drank her formula. He brushed a kiss across her forehead. While he watched her drink, he thought about Faith Kolanko. He wanted a date with her. He hadn’t had a satisfactory date since Merry had come into his life. And though he had yet to try, he suspected he’d had so few dates that he could count them on the fingers of both hands. He just hoped he couldn’t count them on one hand.

      Whatever the number, it had been too damned few. He liked women and he missed their companionship. But nothing about his life was as simple as it had been before. He had to think about Merry now. He had to be friends with nice ladies who liked Merry and could deal with her. And until today, he hadn’t met anyone who fit his criteria—and who fit him.

      Faith Kolanko had been marvelous with Merry. She was the first female he had encountered who could really cope in a crisis.

      While Merry sucked happily, fantasies danced in his mind. Jared pictured the slender blonde in absolute detail. The way her lips curved in a smile, the hint of curiosity in her green eyes as she looked at him. The cool, decisive way she had taken charge. The warmth she exhibited toward Merry.

      He had learned at an early age that a man out in public with a horse or a puppy drew women like honey drew flies. In the last four months, he had learned that a man with a baby also attracted women. Wherever he traveled with Merry—grocery, park, rodeo, beach or mall—women came up to him to see the baby. But when he carried it further, it was different. A man and a woman who met over a horse or a dog could ignore the animal for a few hours. No such luck with a baby. When Merry demanded attention, Jared had discovered that most of the women he encountered either knew little about babies or already knew too much and didn’t want anything to do with another one. Romance had gone out of his life almost as swiftly as fatherhood had come into it.

      But then, springing forth from a hedge, had come a beautiful lady who obviously loved little babies. “My, oh, my!” he whispered aloud. He looked down at the baby in his arms. She had finished the bottle, and her breath was rapid, rising and falling evenly, telling him she was asleep.

      “What a day we’ve had, eh, li’l darlin’? It will be downhill all the way from here.” He placed Merry gently on the blanket. “We’re going to get our things and go find the pretty lady. I suspect she isn’t going to be able to resist you. We are going to ask Faith to dinner and to become part of our lives. We need her—I can feel it clear down to my toes,” he said to the sleeping baby.

      He paused and looked at the spirea bushes. Only a sprinkling of white petals on the ground indicated that anything had disturbed the flowers. He picked a little sprig and tucked it into the pocket of Merry’s bag.

      Jared stretched out on the blanket, folding his arms behind his head, and watched white clouds shift across the deep blue sky. He listened to the birds and enjoyed the slight April breeze while leaves caused shadows to dance across him. His thoughts were on Faith Kolanko. She had been calm, cool, efficient. And beautiful. Big green eyes, long legs. In his heart he gave another silent prayer of thanks for Merry’s rescue and for Faith Kolanko sweeping into their lives.

      All his life, there had been women around—until the last two months. He missed having a woman around. He had thought of marriage—something that had never crossed his mind until